The news that Pep Guardiola will replace Manuel Pellegrini as Manchester City manager in the summer has understandably dominated the headlines in recent days.

He won 14 trophies in four years at Barcelona, including two European Cups, and became the most coveted manager in the game. Five further trophies in charge of Bayern Muich have underlined his credentials as the world's most respected coach.

The fact City have managed to secure his services is a huge statement of their intent.

He will instantly have the respect of the players, but perhaps his biggest challenge is transferring his high-intensity, possession-based paradigm to a new setting.

To help him do that, he will bring with him a trusted four-man backroom team who have worked with him at both Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

But who are they?

Manuel Estiarte: Personal assistant

Guardiola surrounds himself with people he trusts, and there's no one he feels closer to than his his personal assistant, Manuel Estiarte.

Estiarte is considered the greatest water polo player off all time. He represented Spain at six Olympic Games between 1980-2000, finishing top scorer in four of them and winning gold at the 1996 games in Atlanta.

For seven consecutive years he was voted World Player of the Year and in 1996 he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit.

He's one of the most highly regarded sportsman in Spanish history.

Guardiola and Estiarte are incredibly close. They have worked together since 2008 at Barcelona and their fathers' friendship pre-dates their own working relationship.

But it was perhaps in 2001 their closeness was cemented for life. Guardiola, who had just signed for Serie A side Brescia, tested positive for nandrolone and was banned by Italian authorities for four months.

He vehemently protested his innocence and was desperate to not to be tarnished by the affair. The intense support offered by Estiarte during that period of his life was vital. Guardiola was later cleared of any wrongdoing.

The incoming City boss likes to gather influences from across the sporting spectrum and feels Estiarte brings valuable knowledge from his time as a professional water polo player.

Upon arrival at Bayern in 2013, Guardiola said: "He has participated in many Olympic Games. I like to take his influences from other sports, he will help us."

Domenec Torrent: Assistant coach

The job of Guardiola's assistant coach falls to another Spaniard, Domenec Torrent.

Their working relationship began in 2007 when Guardiola was put in charge of the Barcelona B side and together they helped the reserve side gain promotion to the second division.

When Guardiola was later appointed Barcelona manager, he did not hesitate in taking Torrent with him and they have worked together ever since.

At Bayern, Torrent worked alongside Hermann Gerland, another assistant coach, but the German will remain at the Allianz Arena next season to assist Carlo Ancelotti.

Torrent's focus on youth – Barcelona lined up with as many as eight academy graduates in their first season in charge at the Nou Camp - will ensure that City academy is utilised in the best possible way.

This will be hugely appealing to the club's leadership team who are desperate to see the senior squad supplemented with club-trained players taken from their £150 million CFA facility.

Lorenzo Buenaventura: Fitness coach

When Guardiola took over Barcelona in 2008, he inherited a talented side full of attacking intent but one bereft of dynamism that had finished third the previous season, 18 points behind Real Madrid. It was an utterly humiliating campaign.

The step up under Guardiola was remarkable. The one-paced side Frank Rijkaard had left behind was suddenly the most intensive football team on the planet.

Much of that transformation was down to Lorenzo Buenaventura, Guardiola's trusted fitness coach.

City's players had better be prepared for a difficult preseason.

Carles Planchart: Scout and video analyst

Pep's secret weapon?

Carles Planchart is the man charged with analysing opponents and developing gameplans to defeat them, as well as running the rule over potential new signings. His attention to detail is thought to be remarkable.

Planchart (right)

He focuses on the tactical approaches of other teams, their set plays and individual players.

In the book Pep Confidential, written by Martí Perarnau, Planchart gave detailed insight into the way in which he and Guardiola work.

“Pep always likes to see the whole match and we load it on to his computer as soon as the match is over,” Planchart said.

“He might then look at the whole game or watch the particular moves we’ve categorised, either player by player, or by type of move, or under different tactical headings. He’ll also find my notes there, both details from the match and specific things we’ve agreed to watch out for.

“As well as getting the match broken down like this, Pep likes to review the match himself and he produces his own analysis.”